Christmas in the Arrowcave
by RealLifeShipper
Summary: Just a quick story I wrote about the team having a Christmas party, with a bit of a twist at the end *wink*. Set the first Christmas after Oliver is released. Slight AU. Earth 1 Laurel and Tommy POVs. Ran out of character spots but it has just about the whole team present. Comments greatly appreciated!


_Laurel POV_

Today had already been a busy day for Team Arrow...

First, there had been the drug dealer that was stupid enough to try and take on Oliver with a pistol, then someone who wanted to make some sort of statement about the "sanctity of the holidays" by planting a bomb in the football stadium. While Tommy and I couldn't do a whole lot to help due to our… retirement, we still made sure the gang was ok on missions like Felicity watched from the Arrowcave (as she liked to call Arrow HQ) on her monitors. We stayed a little closer, however, in case something bad ever happened again, but these guys today were just stupid and no real threat to a team of well-trained vigilantes.

Honestly, how many crazies have to live in Star City? Can't they at least take a vacation? It is Christmas after all! Around 9 PM the team decides to turn off the equipment and call it a night so that they could celebrate the holiday together as their own, crazy family.

Of course, Felicity went way overboard on decorations for the Arrowcave. Lights went all around her workstation, mistletoe was placed sporadically around to catch couples unawares, and there was a tree completely decorated with each of the team member's symbols, symbols from other vigilante friends, actual arrows, along with all of the 'normal' stereotypical Christmas tree decorations. While this is nothing like the Queen's Christmas party that was the event of the season just a few years ago, it is far jollier and more festive than what you'd expect from a group of vigilantes, even on Christmas.

Tommy came over to me grinning from ear to ear and I couldn't help but do the same. He looked ridiculous in that old, ugly Christmas sweater and antlers over his tousled brown hair. Maybe the overly childish outfit is a good thing, a way to have a flicker of hope and light to help navigate the shadows they live so much of their lives in as vigilantes.

We stand in the corner together, just watching our friends that are more like family at this point, enjoying the laughter and happy chatter that fills the room. I rest my head on his strong shoulder and he puts his arm around me, pulling me closer to him before ghosting a kiss on my forehead. This is how I wish things could stay forever, calm and happy, with everyone together and safe, not fighting every bad guy in the city for just one second.

At that moment Oliver went onto the platform, on which his wife had spent so much of her time, to make a quick toast before things got too crazy or people got too drunk like at the wedding, especially when Barry had been kind enough to send his Grandma Ester's eggnog recipe from Central City. He looked happier than I'd seen in a while, wearing a deep green sweater, jeans, and a Santa hat he looked like any other average dad in America would, and smiling so wide that I couldn't see the darkness that so often followed him and his usual broody mood. Oliver calls up Felicity and his son William to join him and I can't help but notice how much like a family they look, with their light hair and red and green attire it looks like one of those cheesy stock-family Christmas card photos. Felicity is stunning as always in her maroon, knee-length dress that fits her perfectly and somehow still looks great with her glasses on; William stood slightly in front of the couple who each had an arm around the other and the, surprisingly neat, teenager who was dressed very much like his father minus the hat, there was no denying that Oliver was his father. There was a time where I had wanted that very thing with Oliver, for that to be my family, but that was so long ago, we were both very different people and now we were in love with people far better for us, he has Felicity and I have Tommy.

He starts the speech he had probably been mulling all week over but would still improvise knowing him. "Hey everyone, thanks for staying after patrol. Just before we start eating I'd like to say a few things. It's been a crazy year and I know that I'm not the easiest to follow or trust, so the fact that you have means a lot to me. You aren't just my team, you've become a part of my family. I've lost a lot of people, we all have." He glanced around the room and I swear, he looked right at me, "I never expected to do this with anyone else. Digg and Felicity were people I never knew I needed. And having the rest of you join made me nervous before, because of those losses. But, honestly, you have made this whole thing possible! I couldn't even imagine doing this without you, _all_ of you. You have supported us so much in such a rough time and kept the mission of saving this city going, so thank you!" he cleared his throat, "Now, go enjoy the food. Don't worry I made it and Felicity didn't help this time." he ended with a chuckle and wink at his wife.

There was a collective giggle and small clap when Oliver was finished, despite most of them having 'twigs in their eyes' afterward. I was so proud of him for becoming the leader I knew he could be and was meant to. Maybe I originally thought that it would be as the CEO of his Dad's company but after everything, I know this is where he was meant to be. In this room, celebrating with these people and having the best life that he could possibly have as an illegal vigilante.

_Tommy POV_

I hated that Oliver had suffered so much but seeing him now, with all of these people, he was happy and that alone made everything worth it, even what happened to me.

It didn't hurt that after all that went down Laurel decided to take my sorry ass back after I tried playing hero when my Dad was rocking the city at its core. Somehow, this beautiful woman forgave all my screwups. She drew me out of my whole during a really dark period of my life and stopped my douchey behavior. Now she's the only woman I could ever care about as anything more than a sister. She's relaxed a lot since her days as a DA, now wearing her hair in a short dirty blonde bob and a classy but comfy all-black ensemble, only showing the festive spirit with jingle bell jewelry that chimes every time she moves. She makes me so happy that I just wish I could marry her, the one downside to our current situation.

A small shriek pulls me from my thoughts and saw that Diggle and his wife Lyla had found one of the mistletoe sprigs, but there was a small protestor to this sudden affection. The catalyst was found over what was normally the workout area but had been converted to a dining area for the occasion, having been placed right over the punch bowl, that tricky Felicity. They were an adorable couple with their young son, John Jr.(who'd been the one to object to the relatively chaste gesture). Lyla was dressed in her usual business casual with a black blazer and slacks, paired with a festive snowflake blouse and black pumps, a stark contrast to the dark grey henley and jeans of the former bodyguard.

The younger Queen sibling, Thea, who also happened to be my half-sister, was on one of the couches curled up with her boyfriend Roy. They seemed so happy, just talking and laughing. Seeing her so happy was nice, especially now that I knew she was my little sister, I'd become like her second brother and started getting really protective. Roy was different though, he made her eyes sparkle when she smiled and every time she'd had a problem he was always the first one there making sure she was alright. They would make it, I could tell. I turned to Laurel and pointed out the young couple, she nodded and smiled up at me and I saw that same sparkle in her eyes as I had noticed in Thea's.

I stayed on this side of the room for a while and it was the usual mixing of groups and clustering around the food until I really started listening to what Roy and Thea were talking about. Their voices were rising and pretty soon everyone would hear. I could picture the look of sorrow that would spread across Oliver's face because I'm pretty sure mine looked the exact same.

Thea angrily shouted "I can't just run off Roy! They're my family! If you really feel like you need to leave the team then just GO!" completely forgetting who was around, and you could see when she remembered, her face became flushed and she started anxiously looking around. It was at that moment Oliver came over to his little sister.

"Thea, it's ok. Roy and I discussed it before he mentioned it to you. He wants what's best for you and right now that's not looking after me, it's being with the one you love." He glanced at Felicity behind him. " Go have an adventure, we'll survive without Arsenal and Speedy for a little while. Curtis, Dinah, and Renee can cover it. You deserve a break away from this madness. You grew up so fast after I went missing. You never deserved that. We can talk whenever you want." he'd seen that look of panic in her eyes but also of hope.

"Are you sure? This isn't too much after you just got out of prison?" Thea asked cautiously.

Oliver smiled kindly, kissed her forehead and said, "See you later Speedy." Thea gave her big brother a hug and then continued to do so for everyone else on the team. As she made her rounds I walked back to Laurel wishing that we could also move on, because as much as I loved seeing Oliver and the rest of the ever-expanding Team Arrow I think that it was time for our spirits to start the next chapter or do whatever we're supposed to.

We'd finally all gotten to where we needed to be and the person we knew would always be there for us had been found. We were all happy, it was a Christmas miracle! Hell, it was a miracle in general, but having it over Christmas was nice with their history attending these sorts of shindigs.

At that moment I knew the team would be alright because they had each other, just like family. As the realization dawned on me, and I could tell it had on Laurel as well, we felt a warmth on our backs that we hadn't felt in _years_. Turning around we see this shining, summer's sky blue light and we knew that our business had finally been completed. The people we cared about had found true, unabashed happiness. Glancing back one final time at our loved ones for a hopefully long life to come, Laurel and I step hand in hand through the veil to see those we had lost and wait for those who would join us wherever it was that came after the In-Between. Our smiles never faltered from that moment, our lives for once contained contented bliss awaiting the rest of our family of heroes.


End file.
